Often with their parents’ encouragement and supervision, young children are increasingly relying on mobile apps—even services that may not have expressly been designed for them—for learning. While parents have an expectation of privacy for their children when they use these apps, a new study suggests that parents’ trust may be misplaced.

Of note, some of the brands engaged in tracking may be quite familiar to readers…

According to recent research by EdTech Strategies, more than 25 percent of school district websites embed user tracking tools that report sensitive user data back to Facebook. In the wake of a high-profile data-privacy scandal involving the social media company, schools and education organizations are taking a closer look at how and why they engage with Facebook.

Student data privacy advocates say the storm clouds around Facebook from the evolving Cambridge Analytica scandal are a reminder that schools, educators, and students should be asking tough questions about the third-party services on which they rely.

To better understand the cybersecurity challenges facing schools, Education Week talked with school leaders in Arizona, Connecticut, Montana, and Texas about the cybersecurity incidents they faced, and how they responded. They found that the country’s K-12 information-technology leaders are likely underestimating the dangers they face and that many are failing to take even basic steps to secure their networks and data.

Select state government audits of school district IT security procedures find a concerning state of affairs. State departments of education should adopt and promulgate digital security expectations and best practices for schools, provide technical assistance and resources to districts to support implementation, and conduct regular audits to ensure compliance.